My personal mantra comes from Miguel De Cervantes’ novel, Don Quixote of La Mancha, when the protagonist reflects, “maddest of all- to see life as it is and not as it should be.” Like the quirky protagonist, Twitterers are often misunderstood, because of their passion for this social medium. This past week, I participated in the 140 Character Conference with several passionate Twitterers who were also passionate about their fields. Jeff Pulver did an incredible job of choosing people not necessarily based on their follower count, but who were passionate! Aparna Vishnet, Tom Whitby, Steven Anderson, Eric Sheninger, and I represented education. My fellow panelists and I are passionate about Twitter and you’ll see us tweet daily, however, we are more passionate about education. Like Don Quixote, we see education as it should be and work towards this goal.
What Should Education Be?
A quality education should be available to all.
I have worked with homeless children, at risk students, immigrants, alternative students, and those with learning disabilities to find schools that lack paint on the wall, air condition, basic supplies, training for teachers, new textbooks, and technology. While doing research for my Masters, I became depressed at the statistics of how many of these students have slipped through the system. For decades, education policy has failed to have any significant impact on decreasing the wide achievement gap that exists. The cycle of poverty prevails, because students are not provided an equal education.
How Do We Revolutionize the System?
Don Quixote had two characteristics every stakeholder in education should have, vision and passion. The speakers at the conference who made the most impact were passionate about Twitter and had a vision of what Twitter does to enhance their fields. The beauty of Twitter is that this is a medium in which passionate people in an area, such as education, are able to collaborate together. Passionate people are contagious. They spread their vision and energy to others who become inflamed as well!
Vision for Education
Through my years working in various low-income school districts the prevalent problem was the lack of passion. Educators are growing weary, because educational policy tries to punish them. This is where Twitter comes into play. The theme for the conference was the State of Now.
My vision for education is to see educators collaborate with each other over dire problems, mentor each other, provide professional development for each other, and to spread the passion so the weary become strong. On Twitter and other social media I have realized this is not visionary, but actually the state of now. Daily, I see educators:
sharing resources on Twitter and other forums
deliberating solutions to problems in their schools through Nings, LinkedIn, and Twitter
collaborating on global projects through Nings, wikis, Voicethread, and blogs
providing professional development to each other either through Skyping, Second Life, blogs, and video tutorials
I felt fortunate to have spoken alongside, such passionate and visionary people and will be highlighting the differences they have made in their communities in future posts. At the conference.
A special thanks goes to Aparna of Parentella who had the vision and passion to propose and organize the educational panel.
A special thanks goes to Jeff Pulver who is the organizer of the 140 Conference and a passionate individual of how social media transforms the world. Thank you, Jeff Pulver, for allowing us to share how Twitter continues to transform education!
Thank you for voting for Steven Anderson to receive a NOW award. Your vote made the difference. This was an incredible achievement to have an educator win one of these prestigious awards! Thank you for your supportive tweets, participating in Edchat discussions, interacting with us on Twitter, being part of the EduPLN ning, and for spreading your passion to your schools.
Please enjoy this video of some of my favorite 140 Conference moments!
Most technologies that are easily adapted and made widely popular are usually improvements of things that already exist. Mail replaced messanger services; the telegraph replaced mail; email replaced mail; Google Wave (might) replace email. It is the same with Twitter. Twitter replaced online chat which (kind of) replaced parties. There are some key differences that Twitter adds to the table though. For example,
A) You can join anyone’s party, and anyone can join your party. If you have your feed unprotected, and you do have your feed unprotected right?
B) You can throw anyone out of your party if you need to. You usually don’t but it’s always nice to have the one button option of doing so.
C) People from around the world can join your party.
D) The party is going on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
E) People are asynchronously enjoying your party. One conversation can last a day, weeks, or even months.
With all these changes in mind, it’s still important to understand that it’s a party and it’s your party. You should keep in mind to be successful you need to be a good host. Let’s go over the basics:
Send Out Invitations
photo: pareeerica
Every good party starts with inviting people over for a drink. This can start with listing yourself in the various Twitter directories out there on the Internet. I just recently published an article on the matter – 14 places to find good quality followers. There I have listed all the major directories and follower recommending websites. It should be a great place to jump start your following.
There are other options though. Something that I regularly do is look at my friend’s ‘following’ list. These are Twitter users that your friend has actually chosen to follow. This usually comes up with better results than the ‘followers’ list because they might be spammers. When looking at this ‘following’ list, be sure to click through to the user’s profile and read their bio, last few tweets and check out their blog if they have one. Then add a few people you like.
Greet your Guests
photo: RuTemple
Okay, now the party is starting. Guests are arriving at all times of the day and night because after all this party is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s important to try to acknowledge any newer followers. It might be good to greet them and ask them where they are from and make sure they don’t need a drink or something.
There is a current trend right now to do this with an automatic DM or auto-DM. These can be okay if A) it’s not overly generic (e.g. Thanks for the follow! Look forward to your Tweets!) or B) You offer free stuff or more information about yourself through a link.
Personally, what I TRY to do is look through a user’s profile and ask a semi-personalized question like – How is teaching in Detroit? or I love the layout of your Teaching blog. This way they know I’m not just sending them a generic auto-DM. It shows you are actually taking the time to get to know someone which is one principle behind having a PLN.
Introduce Everyone
photo: ItzaFineDay
You know those fancy parties where you show up and some guy in a fancy suit announces to the party that you’ve arrived? Don’t worry if you’ve never been invited to one, because now you can live out that experience on Twitter. When someone logs on to Twitter the first time, chances are they don’t know anyone at the party. They’ve come because they heard it’s where all the action is or where all the cool people are (that’s us right?).
So, it’s good to give them a proper welcome by introducing them to all of your following. Be sure to include a relevant snippet about them in the Tweet and their username. You can do this as soon as they get online or wait for #teachertuesday or #followfriday.
Help the Confused-Looking Guy/Gal in the Corner
photo: CarbonNYC
From time to time, people will need help. After all, that might be one reason why they came to the party in the first place. You can help these guests out by filtering your Twitter stream with a ‘?’. This will give you all the Tweets of people asking questions. Sometimes you will come up with a few rhetorical questions, but more often than not you’ll find a friend in need. This is what having and building a PLN is all about, spreading information and helping others solve problems.
You can also use a neat little service called twithive.com This web app allows you to filter your stream by questions, conversations, links or retweets. It also packs in a few more features like Tweet clouds, which are clouds of the most popular terms for your stream. I find it offers you a way to look at your Twitter stream from a different angle.
Pop your Head in When it Counts
photo: meddygarnet
Since the party is going on all the time, it’s literally impossible to be at the party at all times. Many have tried and all have failed. Don’t be a Twitter addict. You have to pop your head in every once in awhile and make sure every one is still enjoying themselves. The key to this is to know exactly when to do this. There are a couple metrics you can look at to see when your following is online.
1) Click counts – If you use a URL shortener (and you should) then you’ll be able to track your click counts. I really good service for this is j.mp (AKA bit.ly). Take note of when your links are being clicked on the most and what links are more popular.
2) Tweetstats.com – This site can give you some stats on when a particular user is online. It breaks down tweeting frequency by days of the week and even hours of the day. You might want to check the stats of people with a big following and see when they are online the most. However, the more tweets someone has made the longer it will take for tweetstats to compile the data.
Enjoy the Party
photo: Wendy Piersall
It’s important to remember that Twitter is just a tool and not a lifestyle. It’s okay to step away from time to time and take a break. It’s also okay to let your personality and opinions shine through and add to the melting pot. Don’t take it too seriously, it’s party after all.
If you are on Twitter be sure to join me @nealchambers. I’ll see you at the party! Also, if you haven’t already, please take the time to fill out a short survey, I promise it’s painless.
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Neal Chambers has taught in Japan for just about 5 years despite graduating in video production. He is currently teaching at a private English conversation school in Osaka. He is a regular teacher contributor at EnglishSpark.com where he writes the series Teacher Stumpers about difficult and odd grammar. He enjoys attempting to climb mountains without injuring himself.
Have you ever come across a tweet that you really wanted to discuss and share with others? Here are the ones that grabbed my attention this week. Check out the rest of this weekly series, What Did They Tweet? to discover some valuable resources and links!
Technology VoiceThread for Schools
Monika Hardy shared this valuable professional development tool for effective technology integration. This VoiceThread discusses how to effectively integrate various technologies into any school and covers Internet safety. Video, thought-provoking images, and more are included. This Voicethread would be great to share with parents, administrators, students, and teachers.
Twitter Lists
In this brilliant post, Karenne Sylvester explains why Twitter’s new list feature is a great idea. Moreover, she offers fantastic advice on how to use Twitter lists!
Controlling Environment vs. Behavior
With the various technology tools being developed at the speed of light, we should learn to relax and limit our time on the computer. Finding a balance is a goal I am still struggling with. For this reason, I really enjoyed this article, Controlling Environment versus Behavior, tweeted by Myscha Theriault. The article provides practical tips, such as limiting the amount of distractions in your workspace to minimize your time on the computer.
Google Wave Tutorials
Ana Maria Menezesshared a list of various Google Wave video tutorials that she created. Google Wave is still relatively new and these tutorials provide an easy way to start navigating through it with topics, such as creating folders, saving a search, or sending an invite!
Educational Resources Galore!
Often we search for a list of resources on any given topic to include in lessons or a presentation. Searching through the Internet takes too long, which is why I thoroughly enjoy Jerry Blumengarten’s website, Cybraryman’s Educational Websites. Jerry, the Cybraryman, provides various links to numerous resources in nearly every subject area. He updates his resources often to keep up with the latest educational topics including Google Wave. The website is really easy to navigate and has sections for parent, educators, and students!
Add the people in this post to your PLN by using this mass Twitter tool. Just copy and paste this list!
On the mindmap, click on the earth icons to follow the links to the Twitter profiles, blogs or websites! You can also make this mindmap smaller or larger and move it around. If you enjoy this series, you may want to subscribe to receive regular updates!
If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to check out these posts with a more extensive list of favorite tweets:
First off, I’d like to say how thrilled I am to be contributing to such an important and influential blog, which is a leader in cutting edge technology. When trying to compile a list of my favorite Web 2.0 apps and sites for education, there were many factors I tried to consider such as: how user friendly is it, is it safe and filtered, and the “why factor” (what separates it from the rest of the pack).
That being said, below is a list of my top 5 Web 2.0 apps for education:
1. Google Apps w/ Gaggle -is such a great free resource for education that it’s hard not to place this at the top of my list. Student’s can share, collaborate, email, etc. all online, which makes it ideal for education.
However, with the purchase of a Gaggle ($3.00 per student) a student’s gMail account is then being filtered. This makes it ideal when having to deal with swearing or online bullying, which is a must when facing CIPPA compliance. Another great feature of Gaggle is the feature of filtered and safe blogs, message boards, and digital lockers for students. More info can be found here.
2. Wiki - A wiki is a site that can be edited by more than one user. I like Wikispaces for this because a educator can setup free user accounts for their students and no email account is required. There are so many beneficial uses to a wiki that it needs to be on any person’s top 10 list. For more info on an educator account visit this website.
3. Mixbook - is a site where users can create online digital storybooks and share them with others in a safe secure environment. I like to think of it as an online version of iPhoto picture books with a lot more features. For a more detailed review click here.
4. Voicethread – I don’t think this comes a surprise being that it is probably the most popular Web 2.0 resource for education. Create an interactive web page or story using this phenomenally easy educational resource. For more info for educators, click here.
5. Glogster – is one of the newer Web 2.0 resources around, but also one of the best. This is a place where users can create online and interactive posters for education. There really is nothing you can’t do on Glogster and with student accounts it opens up a whole new world for collaboration. For a more detailed review click here.
Just missed: Fliggo (video hosting), Time Rime (time lines), Diigo (social bookmarking)
All of these sites on my list have educational portals which means they have safe student accounts available. This is ideal when things need to be monitored and approved in an educational environment.
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David Kapuler has been working with technology and education for over 10 years in a school setting. He hopes to incorporate 21st century and Web 2.0 technologies into students teachings, while preparing them for future learning. He is currently looking to get his Mac OS/Repair Certification, as well as, a Masters in Technology Integration. Also, he has a solid background in professional development, web design, and working with network/server support. On a personal note, he’s a proud father of 3 boys and has been married for 5 years. Read more of David Kapuler’s technology reviews for education by visiting his blog, Technology Tidbits: Thoughts of a Cyber Hero or following him on Twitter (@dkapuler).
Have you ever come across a tweet that you really wanted to discuss and share with others? Here are the ones that grabbed my attention this week. Check out the rest of this weekly series, What Did They Tweet?
Cool Claymation Tips
The educator in me loves student projects, which is why this is my favorite tweet of a claymation video by four students. The music is amazing, the story plot resembles Romeo and Juliet, and the creativity is off the charts. How could this tweet get any better? Maryna Badenhorst’s tweet also provides a link to a list of claymation resources and tips to get your students started in creating their own claymation videos! I really enjoyed browsing through the rest of the website which offers very cool educational technology tips! I am sure this will become a favorite part of my daily read!
Good Tech/ Bad Tech Debate
In this brilliant post, Jamie Keddie explores the parallels in describing the relationship between technology and the classroom. He uses the medical field as an example and illustrates with images how two pediatricians use technology to save lives in Sierra Leone. Read this thought-provoking post!
Hip-hop and Shakespeare
I attend several webinars and in nearly every one of them run into my webinar buddy, Mary Beth Hertz. During one of the webinars I sought some advice in teaching English language learners Shakespeare. Mary Beth later tweeted me a link to this amazing article about the rapper, Akala, hosting workshops for teenagers that relate Shakespeare to hip-hop. These types of projects are incredible for closing the achievement gap. Watch the inspirational video below about the project.
Creative Use of Pocket Change
Ashley Allain shared this wonderful post about a very creative lesson using pocket change. Dan Meyer walks the reader through this math lesson in using a jar of change to motivate students to critical think. The post is illustrated with amazing infographics and explains the process in more detail.
On the mindmap, click on the earth icons to follow the links to the Twitter profiles, blogs or websites! You can also make this mindmap smaller or larger and move it around. If you enjoy this series, you may want to subscribe to receive regular updates!
If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to check out these posts with a more extensive list of favorite tweets:
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